Strings Attached
by HarmonyLovely
Summary: Being rewritten.
1. College nights

**Strings Attached**

**Chapter One-College Nights**

* * *

The loud music bounced throughout the many walls of the frat house as the three shoved their way into the party. Brooke rolled her eyes at Jake and Peyton's lovey dovey talk. She leaned into Peyton and told the blonde she was going to go find herself an innocent boy to corrupt.

The hunt didn't last long. Then again, it never did for Brooke Penelope Davis.

She quickly found her target acting as a wallflower in the kitchen of the frat house. He was sipping on a red plastic cup and she had no doubts that it was filled with beer; he watched the party from afar, resisting the pull from several other girls.

"Why so broody tonight?"

He shrugged, looking back out at the party and taking a larger drink than before. "I guess I'm just looking for my next adventure."

"Oh really?" she inched closer to him, their noses nearly touching, "what kind of adventure?"

He shrugged, "don't really know."

"Well maybe I could help you out," she whispered.

He couldn't help but let a small grin invade his features, "What you got in mind, cheery?"

Now it was her turn to shrug, "Meet me out front in five and maybe I'll take you on the adventure of your life." She winked at him before leaving the kitchen and back into the center of the party.

He grinned and scratched the back of his head as he watched her retreating form. He emptied off his drink, tossed he cup in the sink and made his way through the wasted crowd and out to the front of the house.

Brooke quickly found her best friend and brother next to the music. She grinned, "P. Sawyer!"

She turned around, "B. Davis! I thought you said you were going to find yourself an innocent boy to corrupt."

"I did!" she grinned, "just thought I'd be nice and tell you stay over at Jake's tonight…I'll be bit busy in our dorm."

Jake closed his eyes, "too much information, Brooke!"

She grinned, "Sorry big bro…one of these days you're going to have to deal with the fact that your baby sister isn't a virgin. Haven't been since I was sixteen."

Jake nearly spit out his drink, "sixteen!" he turned to Peyton, "you said eighteen!"

She stuffed her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders innocently, "did I?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, "while you two stand here and have a lovers' quarrel, I'm gonna go have some fun." She turned around but stopped when Jake called her name. "What? Do you want to know who I lost it to?"

He shook his head, "no…just tell me it wasn't Tom Deacon?" Brooke was silent, "never mind, I don't want to know." He dug his hand into his pocket and tossed the condom to her, "just be safe."

She made the easy catch, "don't you think it's kind of weird that my brother is giving me a condom?"

Peyton shrugged, "or is it weird that you now know your brother's choice of condom?"

She looked down at the wrapped condom and tossed it back to her brother with a disgusted look on her face, "I think I'll get my own."

Once Brooke was out of ear shot, Jake turned to Peyton, "it was Tom Deacon wasn't it?"

"Thought you didn't want to know?"

"I don't...but if it was Tom Deacon…"

Peyton sighed, "It wasn't Tom Deacon! It was Landon Howard."

Jake's eyes doubled in size, "Landon Howard! The back up quarterback! He continuously tried to take my place as starting quarterback! How could she do that? That's like treason or something!"

Peyton rolled her eyes, "Jake, she's your sister...right now you're sort of coming off as an incestuous jealous older brother."

He wrinkled his nose, "that's gross." He sighed, "I just want what's best for her. You know, with everything that happened with Jeremy…" Jake shook his head, just mentioning the son of a bitch's name made his blood boil.

Peyton nodded, "I know…and she'll find it, just give her time. Contrary to what you might think, she does have a good head on her shoulders…for the most part."

* * *

_Ok, so consider this a prologue...I was going to continue it but I have now decided to have Lucas' adventure of a lifetime from Brooke in later chapters as flashbacks..._

_This is my first OTH fanfic...but I am not new to fanfiction...I understand I am not the best writer, but I like think I do ok._

_Rebbie_


	2. When the past is your present

_**Damn, reviews come a lot quicker for OTH fanfics than they do for GH, lol. So thanks for all of the fantastic reviews. And yes, Jake is Jake…only he is a Davis…Brooke's older brother. I was so not planning it that way, it just sort of happened. lol. But it works well for my plan for this story. **_

_**So I was gonna wait until tomorrow morning but I was so happy with the reviews, so...here ya go!**_

_**This chapter skips five years ahead…**_

**Strings Attached**

**Chapter Two-When the past is your present**

* * *

Brooke Davis scowled as she was shoved in the back for the third time. "Tell me again why we're at a basketball game?" she whined while impatiently waiting for Peyton to read the seat numbers on the two tickets.

"Because unlike you, I'm not my own boss and it's the assignment I was given." Peyton Sawyer was a photographer/artist/writer for a teen variety magazine. She didn't exactly click with the editor in chief, Louisa, so it was quite often that she was stuck with unflattering assignments. This month's issue was covering last year's NBA rookie of the year along with several other NBA players' stories. "Over here." She pulled Brooke along as they took their courtside seats.

"Are you sure Jake's not mad that you brought me to the game, instead of him? I mean, he's like obsessed with sports."

Peyton nodded, "I'm sure! Trust me, he's cool with it."

"You know, I could be at home right now with Logan, making Oreo shakes." Brooke took a sip of her diet coke and began chewing her straw out of habit.

"Oh B. Davis, you know you'd much rather be here, checking out the hot, sweaty, muscular pro basketball players."

The brunette eyed her curly haired friend, "uh, P. Sawyer, you have a boyfriend, _my _brother. You know, Jake Davis…ring any bells? You two have been going out since our sophomore year of high school…"

"Doesn't mean I can't enjoy…from afar."

The best friends since age two shared a laugh but stopped immediately as they eyed the team running out onto the court. The sports arena boomed as the fans erupted for their home team, the New York Knicks.

Brooke couldn't help but let her mouth hang open a bit as they ran passed her, "tell me why I spent my time with football players in high school?"

"Because their star quarterback was Jake."

"That's enough reasoning for you, but definitely no reason for me…can you say incest?" She shuddered and shook her head, "ok, which one is your assignment?"

Peyton looked down at her hand where she had written his name and jersey number just in case she forgot. "Lucas Scott, number three." She looked for the Knicks number three jersey, "oh! There he is!" she checked him out from afar and smirked; "you know, maybe I can be a little nicer to Louisa from now on." she laughed and turned to Brooke who looked like she had just seen a ghost. "Uh…Brooke?"

"Broody." she whispered.

Peyton raised a brow, "Broody?" she gasped, "Broody! As in one night stand, Broody? As in Logan's father, Broody?"

Brooke numbly nodded, "yeah."

"Are you sure it's really him?"

"I'd recognize those eyes anywhere." She sighed and turned to her best friend and confidant, "what am I going to do, Peyt?"

Peyton gave her friend a sympathetic smile, "I can't tell you _what_ to do." Brooke sighed and continuously glanced Lucas' way as the game began. "But Logan has been asking a lot about his father." Peyton added. "I mean, just the other day he asked if--"

"Jake was his father," Brooke nodded, "I know."

A silence fell between the two as Peyton started taking pictures with the digital camera Louisa had entrusted her with.

Brooke's eyes stayed on Lucas throughout the game, she even found herself cheering when he scored or booing when he was fouled. She suddenly wished she was sitting closer to the players' benches. She didn't know why, but she was finding herself drawn to her one-night stand from college.

It had to be because he was her son's father. Right?

Peyton shook her head as she watched her best friend. She put the camera back in its bag and pulled out her notebook, "you're falling hard, B. Davis."

Brooke shook her head, "I am not."

"Then why haven't you moved your gaze from him since the game began?"

"Because…because I'm trying figure out if I should tell him."

"And…" Peyton urged.

"Do you think he'll be a good father?"

The blonde shrugged, "there's only one way to find out."

Brooke sighed, "I know."

The game continued on and Brooke was sure Lucas had even glanced her way a couple of times. She was sure he had recognized her.

The Knicks fans erupted as their favorite player scored three more points.

Lucas hustled down the other side of the court with rest of the players; he winked at Brooke as he ran past her.

Brooke turned to her friend, "did you see that?"

"What? Lucas Scott winking at you? Yeah."

She lightly shoved Peyton in the arm, "Peyt, that's _exactly _what I did to him?"

Peyton looked up at Brooke, "so? People wink all the time."

"But maybe it means something."

The blonde played along, "what did you mean when you winked at him?"

"It was after I had told him to meet me out front at the party."

"So then meet him out front after the game."

"Reporters are going to be _everywhere._" She took the last sip of her diet coke, chewing the on straw, "but I guess it's worth a shot…I mean, I know I need to tell him."

The game had eventually ended with an easy win for the New York Knicks.

Brooke and Peyton made their way through the crowd of people and in front of the door to the Knicks' locker room.

"Are you sure he'll come out this way?"

Peyton nodded, "he has too...he's tonight's hero and the media will eventually be over here."

"The media is a bit Lucas Scott crazed."

"Well since you know my name, it's only fair I know yours."

Both Peyton and Brooke jumped, looking behind them. As rest of his team filed into the locker room, he stopped.

Brooke couldn't help but give him a look over. He was sweaty. His blonde hair was sticking up at every possible end and his eyes were as blue as ever. She suddenly couldn't find the words to say what she needed to say.

Peyton cleared her throat when she realized Brooke wasn't going to say anything. Lucas looked her way. She held out her hand, "I'm Peyton Sawyer; you'll be next month's cover boy for T.Zine…"

Lucas nodded, "yeah, I just finished up an interview with them earlier today, they said somebody would be coming out to get some good pictures…I take you're that somebody?"

Peyton nodded, "yeah…if you'd like, I'll email the pictures to you…let you double check them."

Lucas shook his head, "whatever works for the magazine, works for me."

"Ok then, come December you'll be seeing yourself on stands nationwide." She shared a look with Brooke, "if you'll excuse me, I've had one too many cups of diet coke tonight…I'll meet you by the women's' restrooms, Brooke?"

Brooke nodded, "yeah."

She smiled at Lucas, "it was nice meeting you."

He nodded, "you too." He turned back to Brooke, "so I know the name of your friend, but…I'm still dying to know yours…"

She gave him a small smile and held out her hand, "its Brooke Davis…nice to officially meet you, Lucas Scott."

He grinned and Brooke couldn't help but notice it was the same exact smile as the night they had met, "well Brooke, it's been awhile…what do you say after I get done here we go out for some drinks?"

"You have a son."

"_Lucas Scott!"_

"_Lucas!"_

"_How does it feel to make the game winning shot?"_

"_You set a new personal record for points in a game…"_

A dozen sports reporters held their microphones tightly and created a cloud around Lucas. He couldn't even register Brooke's words, let alone the several questions that he gets asked after every single game.

Brooke quickly lost sight of Lucas and took it as a sign to leave. She turned around and pushed against the tide of people and headed for the exit.

* * *

Hours had passed since the game and Brooke's confession to Lucas Scott. She now lay comfortably in her bed, watching the rain hit her bedroom window. It had been a long day and she was exhausted, but sleep just wasn't settling with her. Sighing, she pushed the blankets off of her and wrapped the fleece house coat around her slim figure before discreetly heading downstairs.

She cringed when she heard the phone ring and rushed to her office and picked it up off its cradle before it woke the other three occupants in the house. "Hello?" she annoyingly answered. It was probably some telemarketer calling…everybody important had her cell number.

"Brooke Davis?"

She raised a brow in slight interest, "who wants to know?"

A deep sigh came through the receiver, "it's Lucas…Lucas Scott."

"Oh." She took a seat in the love seat, "you sound different over the phone."

"You still sound cheery."

An awkward silence fell between the two and all that was heard was each others' nervous breathing.

Brooke finally broke the silence, "his name is Logan."

"What?" Lucas asked, having been listening to the softness of her breathing.

"Your son. His name is Logan Alan Davis…that's why you called, right?"

Lucas nodded, forgetting Brooke couldn't see him, "yeah." He sighed at what he was about to say, hoping she wasn't offended, "listen, I don't want this to come out the wrong way. But how do I know he's mine? I mean, not to sound too self-centered, but I was the NBA rookie of the year, a lot of girls would love to claim I'm the father of their kid…"

"I understand." She smiled as she pictured her son's face, "he's definitely your son…he's the spitting image of you. Same mesmerizing crystal blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, the same infectious grin and even the nose." She blushed, realizing what she saying, "But uh…if you want a paternity test, that's fine. Like I said, I understand."

"I'll be back in town on Saturday, that's my next home game…"

"We'll be there. Then we can take things from there…"

"Mommy!" Brooke looked up as Logan came walking in clad in his Spiderman pajamas.

Lucas' heart skipped a beat as he heard his son's voice. It suddenly made things all the more real. He was a father. He had a son. At that moment he didn't care how the media would react. Or how his friends and family would react. He just wanted to meet his son. What was his favorite color? Was it blue like his? Did he have a favorite sports team? Did he like cars? All these thoughts were going through his head and he barely heard Brooke saying his name through the phone.

"Lucas."

"Yeah?"

"I gotta go…Logan's awake."

Lucas nodded, "see you guys Saturday?" he asked hopefully, as if making sure she hadn't already forgotten.

"Yeah."

* * *

_So..._


	3. Family is Family

**Strings Attached**

**Chapter Three-Family is Family**

* * *

"Mommy, I'm hungry and I'm thirsty." Logan said as he and his mom followed close behind Peyton and Jake.

"You just ate McDonalds on the way here." Brooke stated harshly, her nerves were getting the best of her and she was taking it out on her son. She saw the hurt in his crystal blue gaze and sighed. She bent down next to him, "how about a slushy?"

He smiled, "and popcorn?"

She nodded and grinned, "and popcorn." She ruffled his hair, "ask Uncle Jake and Auntie Peyton if they want anything."

Logan nodded and ran in between Jake and Peyton, forcing their intertwined hands apart. "You want snacks?" he asked. "I'm getting popcorn and a strawberry slushy!"

Peyton laughed, "a slushy sounds good…count me in for a strawberry one, too."

"What about you, Uncle Jake?"

"And no alcohol, Uncle Jake," Brooke broke in, "you are the designated driver."

Jake rolled his eyes, "yes mother."

"She's my mommy! Not yours!" Logan exclaimed, "you're silly!"

"He is very silly," Peyton agreed. "Why don't I go get the snacks and you find the seats." Already knowing what Jake wanted, she turned to Brooke, "want anything?"

She shrugged, "just a diet coke and twizzlers."

Peyton nodded, "will do." She turned around heading for the concession stands and soon her blonde curls were lost in the crowd.

The three of them continued on for their seats, "I can't see anything!" Logan whined as his mom tightly kept a hold of his hand.

Jake grinned; "well we can definitely fix that!" he scooped his nephew up and lifted him to the top of his shoulders. "How about now?"

"I can see _everything_!" Logan grinned; he could see everything from this view.

Brooke shook her head and rolled her eyes, "what do you say Logan?"

"Thank you Uncle Jake!" the four and a half year old yelled into his Uncle's right ear.

Jake winced at the loudness of his nephew's voice, "no problem buddy."

Lucas took some warm up shots with the team and continuously scanned the crowd looking for the girl he had nicknamed cheery, but now knew as Brooke Davis. She said she'd be here tonight, with his son.

_His son._

Those two words stabbed at his heart. When he was a kid, he promised himself he would be the complete opposite of his negligent father. He was gonna be a man, he was gonna love his kids and give them the world. Lucas was a man of his word and he had broken his promise. He had missed the first four and a half years of his son's life. The only thing he knew was his name, Logan Alan Scott.

A father was supposed to know his son's favorite color. What foods he did and didn't like. He was supposed to check under the bed and make sure the monsters weren't there and if they were, kick them out. He was supposed to teach him how to make a basket, how to ride without the training wheels.

He made another warm up shot and headed over to the benches.

"Gonna have another new record, Scott?"

Lucas chuckled at his teammate's question, "the media would like it, wouldn't they?"

"Not just the media…the fans, the franchise, the team, people that hate the Lakers…"

"Nothing like putting pressure on someone." He scanned the crowd and spotted the beautiful brunette, his breath caught in his throat at her simple beauty. His eyes went to her left where she seemed to be laughing with the tall brunette man. Lucas watched the little boy atop his shoulders laugh.

He felt a mixture of anger, hurt, jealousy, pride and love pound through his body. That was his son. But who was that guy? Had he taken his place as a father figure to this little boy? Was he Brooke's boyfriend?

"Scott! Stop checking out the goods in the crowd…they all lead to bad news." An older teammate smacked the back of his head, "you ready for your meeting with Korbin?"

"Damn straight."

It was widely known that Lakers famed second year starter, Korbin Mitchell didn't exactly like the Knicks second year starter, Lucas Scott. Their first meeting a year ago had turned into a shootout between Lucas and Korbin. The Knicks had pulled away in the last minutes of the game as did Lucas. He outscored Korbin by twenty three points.

He took another glance into the stands; the man removed Logan from his shoulders and gave him the blue foam hand. Brooke seemed preoccupied with the crowd, and continuously scanned the court. He waited and waited and then it happened. She found his eyes.

He didn't know if it was because of the distance, but he couldn't quite read her expression. He turned around when he felt another smack upside the head. His veteran teammate, B.J. Sammy had sort of taken him under his wing the minute he became a member of the team.

"Scott! I wasn't kidding!" B.J. shook his head, "do you want your name added to the list of man whore basketball players?"

Jake glared at the back of Lucas Scott's head. He was less than thrilled when Brooke had broken the news to him of who Logan's father was. He had insisted that he and Peyton join them tonight. The last thing he wanted was for his little sister and nephew to be thrown into the spotlight. "Did he see you?" he asked.

Brooke nodded, "yeah…he saw me."

"Who saw you, mommy?" Logan asked, looking up at his mom. Sometimes adults forgot that children had ears, too.

"Just one of the basketball players, sweetie." Brooke answered, hoping that would be the end of that conversation, for now.

But it wasn't, not by a long shot.

"Which one?" the four and a half year old asked.

The brunette sighed. She pulled Logan into her lap, and pointed down at the court, "see the player with the blue number three jersey?" Logan nodded, "that's who saw me."

"Is he a good basketball player?"

"He's a great basketball player." Jake answered, "he scores _a lot _of points."

Logan nodded as if he had just made up his mind, "I'm going to root for him." He looked up at his mom, "what's his name?"

"Lucas Scott."

"Food delivery." Peyton announced as she took a seat between Jake and Logan, "for you, my sweet nephew, popcorn and a strawberry slushy. For you, B. Davis, twizzlers and a diet coke. And for you my wonderful fiancé, skittles, mountain dew and popcorn to share with _me_."

Brooke rolled her eyes, "you two have been engaged since two summers ago…you really should start saying my wonderful life-long-finance-never-will-be-husband."

Peyton and Jake just shook their heads; they couldn't go a day without hearing how they needed to get married, _pronto. _The way Peyton and Jake saw it, why ruin a good thing?

"Mommy, I have to go potty!" Logan suddenly announced, holding his hands between his legs.

Brooke took a bite of her twizzlers, "do you really have to go?"

Logan nodded, "and I want to go in the boy's bathroom, not the girl's bathroom. Because I'm a boy, not a girl!" Peyton laughed and she looked in Jake's direction along with Brooke.

"What?" Jake asked when he caught the two girls looking at him.

"Logan has to go the bathroom." Brooke said.

"And he wants to use the boy's bathroom." Peyton added.

Jake sighed and glanced up at the score board, it was less than seven minutes until tip off. "Come on bud, let's go." He dumped a handful of skittles in his mouth and stood up, "you want a piggy back ride?"

Logan nodded, "can we stop and get more candy on the way back?" he asked.

"Depends how long you're in the bathroom."

The best friends were silent for several minutes. Brooke's eyes were constantly on Lucas, hoping he would once again look her way. Peyton shook her head as she watched her best friend, "so…"

Brooke turned to her, "so…?"

"Don't play dumb with me, B. Davis." she nodded down to the players' bench where Lucas was talking to who she assumed to be a coach, "what's the plan?"

Brooke shrugged; she had been asking herself that same exact question since she had ended her phone conversation with Lucas. "I guess I'll just wing it."

"Brooke!" Peyton shook her head, "I'm all for your last minute--"

"—brilliant last minute plans."

"Ok, _brilliant _last minute plans--"

"Especially that one time our senior year in high school when the principal caught us toilet papering Mr. Lowry's car…and I said it was apart of some experimental survey for our psychology class. Oh! And remember the time--"

"Brooke! I don't think this is something to be taken lightly…"

The brunette glared at her best friend, "I _know_ this isn't something to be taken lightly…I just don't know how to tell Logan." She sighed and looked back down at Lucas, "what am I supposed to say? _Hey Logan, guess what? I know who your daddy is!_"

Peyton's eyes widened and she shared a nervous look with Jake. Unbeknownst to Brooke, he and Logan were behind her.

"You know who my daddy is?" Logan exclaimed excitedly.

Brooke glared at her older brother who in turn shrugged, he would have found out sometime tonight. She smiled down at her son, and pulled him to her so their faces were only inches apart. "Yeah, I know who your daddy is."

"Who's my daddy?" he began to look all the way around him, "is he here?"

"Come here sweetie." She pulled Logan into her lap and directed him to look at the court, "see the guy I showed you earlier?"

Logan nodded, "is he my daddy?"

Brooke nodded and turned him around so he was now facing her, "yeah."

"How come he never comes over to my house to see me?"

Brooke sighed; she wasn't sure how she was going to put this. She could barely explain it to her brother, let alone her four and a half year old son. "Well, one night…I met your daddy. But then I lost him and now…"

"You found him!" he exclaimed happily, throwing his arms in the air.

"Exactly." She poked his nose, "you're a smart boy."

He grinned, "can we go see him?'

"Of course. But after the game, ok?"

Logan nodded and took his seat between his mom and aunt. Brooke looked up at Peyton and Jake. The blonde was rather amused with the way she handled the situation while her older brother disapprovingly shook his head.

As much as Jake hated to admit, he was a fan of Lucas Scott's game and that's what scared him the most. The whole world knew of Lucas Scott. That's why Jake was scared for his baby sister. She had already been through so much in her lifetime, but he knew there was nothing he could do to protect her. And then there was Logan. He was this innocent little boy that could get hurt with all of this. But he did deserve to know who his father was.

* * *

Lucas Scott once again, had a game for the books.

_That is it folks, The Knicks win it 122-96 over the Lakers! Lucas Scott has once again given his fans a reason to keep on loving him._

Logan jumped up and down as everybody in the bleachers stood. "They won mommy!"

"They sure did."

"So where are we going now?" Jake asked, still unimpressed with the thought.

The brunette grabbed a hold of her son's hand, "we didn't exactly say where we'd meet….I just told him we'd be at the game."

Jake rolled his eyes, "well what good is that?" he ignored the glare he was receiving from his girlfriend. "What?" he asked her.

She shook her head, "stop being mean."

"I'm not being mean, I'm being realistic."

Logan looked up at his mom, "is Uncle Jake mad?"

Brooke shook her head and lied, "no. how about you and I go find your daddy?"

The blonde haired boy eagerly nodded, "yes!"

Without so much as a glance in her brother's direction, she and Logan began their way to the front of the complex.

Peyton smacked Jake's arm.

"Hey!" he massaged his arm, "what the hell was that for?"

"You're acting like an asshole, Jake!" she shook her head, "can't you try being the supportive big brother instead of the critical big brother? She's _trying _to do the right thing."

He continued to massage his arm, "you and I both know she doesn't exactly have a record of doing the right thing. Need I mention Jeremy?"

"No. You don't need to mention Jeremy." Peyton rolled her eyes, "And stop rubbing your arm, I barely smacked you."

"Maybe if you kiss my arm it'll feel better…because I think I'm in need of some Peyton loving."

Peyton softened her gaze a little, "maybe you'll get some Peyton loving if you apologize to your sister."

About an hour had passed before Lucas emerged from the locker room. He was clad in a pair of black sweats and an old gray hoody. He fitted his worn out Ravens hat over his head, bid good-bye to a couple of teammates and kept an eye out for Brooke and Logan. They hadn't talked about where they would meet and in retrospect; he thought it probably would have been a good idea.

He pulled the black gym bag over his shoulder and grinned when he saw the brunette standing outside of the men's restroom, talking her blonde friend from earlier in the week. He couldn't remember her name, but was sure he'd hear it again.

Lucas wanted to start off on a less awkward note, "Cheery…am I correct in saying this is our third meeting…all three of them coming after a basketball game? We starting some kind of pattern here?"

Brooke grinned, "Don't tell me you forgot my name, already?"

Peyton smirked at the obvious flirting going on between the two.

Lucas shook his head, "of course not, Miss. Brooke Davis."

"So the sit down toilets are for pooping and the stand up toilets are for peeing?" Logan asked as his uncle ushered him out of the bathroom. The four adults laughed and Logan seemed to enjoy being the center of attention. Something he had obviously picked up from his mother. His eyes widened when he saw Lucas. "Hi!"

Lucas grinned. Logan was definitely his son. The eyes, the nose, the hair, the smile, it was identical to his. Only the dimples came from Brooke. "Hi Logan."

The four and a half year old grinned, "Mommy says you're my daddy. I've never had a daddy before."

Lucas bent down to Logan's level, "well I've never had a son before."

The little boy grinned, "But now you do!" his eyes suddenly widened, "Can you show me how to do that thing where you knocked the-the ball down and ran all the way and put the ball in the-the hoop?"

"Absolutely…anything for you."

"Can you show me tomorrow?"

"We have plans tomorrow," Jake interrupted.

Brooke saw the disappointment not only on her son's face, but on Lucas' too. "It's just brunch, Jake. Lucas can join us."

Lucas adjusted the gym back on his arm and shook his head, "nah, I wouldn't want to intrude."

Peyton glared at Jake, "Jake is always talking about how he needs another guy around during Sunday brunch."

Brooke grinned, making a mental note to thank her best friend later. "See, Lucas, you won't be intruding." She grabbed Logan's hand just as he was about to wonder, "I guess I should officially introduce you. Lucas, this is Jake, my older brother, and you've already met Peyton, his girlfriend. Jake, this is Lucas." She glared at her brother, making sure he didn't say anything mean.

Lucas stuck out his hand, "nice to meet you."

After Peyton elbowed him, Jake reluctantly stuck his hand out, "you too."


	4. The Morning After

**Ok, short chapter, but it is an update. Thanks so much for all the reviews...they really motivate me.Rebbie**

**Strings Attached**

**Chapter Four-The Morning After**

"What do you mean you have a son?" Lucas pulled his cell away from his ear as his sister-in-law screamed through it. He could hear his brother's voice in the background and the sound of the phone being handed over.

"Sorry about that, Luke." Nate's voice came through, "so you have a son?"

"Yeah, his name is Logan." Lucas couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, "he's four an a half."

"And you're sure he is yours?"

"Positive."

"So I guess the next question is who's the girl and when?"

Lucas heard Haley's voice in the background and was pretty sure she wasn't too pleased to have the phone take away. "You remember in college, the away game against North Carolina that we won?"

"Yeah, that happened to be your highest scoring college game."

"Yeah well I went to this after party at some frat house with Tim…he said something about meeting up with an old girlfriend…"

"…wait, Tim had a girlfriend?"

Lucas chuckled, "ex-girlfriend, but yeah. Anyway, I meet this girl…"

"…what was her name?"

"You ask more questions than Haley!" he shook his head, "Brooke Davis. But at the time I didn't know her name, so I called her cheery."

"Cheery?"

"Yeah…well, she gave me a nickname first and we just kind of stuck with them."

"What was yours?"

"Broody."

"Doesn't surprise me…only Lucas Scott would be _broody _after the greatest game of his college career."

"_So cheery, we gettin' close to your dorm?"_

_Brooke laughed, "Going straight to my dorm really won't be considered the adventure of your lifetime, now will it?" She linked her arm with his, "we'll probably make a stop there."_

"_Probably?" Lucas shook his head, "so where are we headed, then?"_

_The raven haired girl bit her bottom lip and was quiet for a minute, she suddenly looked up at him, "You like hot chocolate?"_

_Lucas nodded, "my ma makes the best hot chocolate in the state of North Carolina."_

_Brooke grinned, "We'll see about that. Ever been to Willie's?"_

"_Can't say I have."_

_They went a couple of blocks before Brooke pulled him into a small diner._

"_Hey Willie! Two small hot chocolates with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles."_

_The chubby African American halted his task of wiping the counter and grinned at her, "anything for you, sugar."_

_Lucas leaned down to her ear, "whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles?"_

"_It's the only way to go."_

"_If you say so."_

_She looked up at him and grinned, "Glad you see it my way, Broody."_

"Dude, how does drinking hot chocolate turn into getting a girl pregnant?"

Lucas laughed, "That's not the whole story. I guess people were right to consider me the smarter brother."

"Well they had to say something positive about you. After all, the better basketball player title belongs to me."

"In case you forgot, I'm the one who was named Rookie of the Year."

"Things would be different if I wouldn't have blown out my knee…just wait until our December meeting on the court."

"I'm counting down the days, _Natey_." Lucas looked at clock on his night stand, "listen, I gotta go take a shower. I've gotta brunch to go to."

"Brunch? I remember when your mom would invite me and my mom over once a month for brunch. And to this day, Dad still doesn't know about it." Nathan shook his head at Haley, who was urging him to let her have the phone back, "well I'll talk to you later."

"Wait. Could you do me a favor?"

"Depends. What's the favor?"

"Could you and Haley keep this quiet for awhile? Nobody else knows and I'd prefer if my mom heard it from me."

"I'll try. But tell your mom soon because I don't know how long I can keep Haley quiet."

"I will. Thanks, Nate."

Lucas flipped his cell shut and slid it into his pocket. He sighed and opened his closet door. He should probably wear a decent button up shirt to brunch. The dirty looks he was receiving from Brooke's older brother last night kind of gave him the hint that Jake didn't think much of him. He quickly settled on a dark blue button up shirt that he had received from his mother to put over the gray t-shirt he was currently wearing.

He took one last look in the mirror before grabbing the gift bag sitting on his dresser.

* * *

Logan ran down the hallway and into the living room. He jumped up onto the couch next to Jake. "Uncle Jake!" 

Jake looked up from the television, "hey bud."

"Do you know when my daddy is going to be here?"

Jake shook his head, he really didn't care either. "Go ask your mom."

As if on cue, a knock came at the front door and Logan ran down passed his mom, "Logan Alan, don't open that door!" Logan's shoulders slumped but he did as his mother said. Brooke walked up behind him and checked the peep hole before opening it.

"You came!" Logan exclaimed.

Lucas grinned, "Said I would, didn't I?"

Logan eyed the gift bag hanging from Lucas' fingers, "is that for me?" he asked.

"Logan." Brooke chided.

Lucas shook his head at Brooke, "its ok. It is for him." He held the bag out to Logan, "hope you like it."

Logan eagerly accepted the gift bag; he pulled out the small Knicks jersey and a Knicks beanie. "Look mommy! I have one just like daddy!"

Brooke grinned, "Sure do. What'd you say, Logan?"

"Thank you!"

Lucas laughed as Logan put the jersey on over the top of his shirt and discarded the hat to the floor. He picked up the hat, "don't like hats?"

Logan shook his head, "not those kind…but mommy makes me wear them."

"Yeah. I have one just like this."

"Why?" the little boy asked, scrunching up his nose.

"So I don't get ear infections." He folded the beanie up, "I could always give it to someone else…I'm sure some other little boy would love to have it."

"But I do want it!"

Jake rolled his eyes at the scene and turned back to the pregame show.

Peyton sighed and took a set next to him, "Jake, can't you try and be nice to him? You're acting like everything that happened to Brooke is his fault."

"Because he _is _the one that got her pregnant."

"But he didn't _know._" Peyton shook her head, "can you at least be civil towards him? I'm sure he already feels out of place enough as it is." Jake gave the blonde a simple shrug and she took that as a yes. She kissed him sweetly on the lips, "thanks baby. I'm gonna go help Brooke."

A few minutes passed before Jake heard someone else come into the den.

Lucas took a seat on the adjacent sofa, he took note of what was on tv, "ah football…gotta favorite team?" he asked Jake, trying to make a decent conversation.

Jake shrugged, "Giant, I guess. You?"

"When I was a kid, it was the Carolina Panthers _all the way,_ and I still root for them. But since coming to New York, I've adopted the Giants as a favorite team."

"You grew up in North Carolina?"

Lucas nodded, "Tree Hill, North Carolina. Population..." he furrowed his brows, "ok, I don't know the population, but it's a small town."

"And you went to Duke?"

"It was a hard choice, but Duke offered me a better scholarship than UNC" he shrugged, "So that's where my brother and I went."

Jake leaned back against the couch, "how could I forget, the infamous Scott Brothers." Jake shook his head, "I never quite understood the story, but you're a college basketball legend."

Lucas chuckled, "well there's not really much to understand. Guy meets girl, guy gets girl pregnant. Guy meets _other _girl, guy gets _other _girl pregnant." He shrugged, "guy makes a decision to embrace one baby and abandon the other. Guess you could say my brother and his mom got the short end of the stick."

Jake nodded, "So 'guy' is your dad? He accepted you and your mother and abandoned your brother and his mother?"

The blonde shook his head, "other way around. He abandoned me and my ma, but we still got the better deal. Dan Scott is a horrible excuse of a man, and a horrible excuse of a father." The moment had all of a sudden turned serious, "the minute I learned the truth about my father, I vowed to myself I would _never _abandon a child of mine. And maybe it won't mean much to you, but you have my _word _that I will be the best father I can be to Logan." He ran a hand through his short hair, "and I know I have a lot of catching up to do…"

Jake shook his head; he suddenly didn't have much anger left for Lucas Scott. "just be around for Logan and I'm sure you'll be a great dad."

Lucas nodded, "thanks man."

"Ok, this conversation got too serious. Back to sports, no need to ask your opinion about your favorite NBA team. So what about baseball?"

"Eh, I'm not really a fan of baseball…but if I were, I would not choose the Yankees as my team."

Jake laughed good heartedly, "I'll second that."

Peyton and Brooke watched through the kitchen, they couldn't hear the conversation but the two guys were obviously laughing.

"See," Peyton lightly shoved her best friend in the arm, "I told you Jake would warm up to Lucas."

Brooke bit her lip and nodded, "yeah, you were right."

"Well for someone who was yelling at Jake about it last night, you don't sound very pleased to be getting your way." Peyton raised a brow, "which is very un-Brooke like."

The brunette sighed, "I guess I'm still kind of unsure about the whole situation."

"Do you…do you _like_ Lucas?" the blonde cautiously asked.

"I don't know." She turned to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk, "I feel this weird attraction towards Lucas and I'm not sure if it's just because he's the father of my son or what."


	5. Father and Son

**_I am soooo sorry it took me forever to update. Life got hectic and my creative juices went to another fandom...not to mention school got the best of my time. Thanks so much for the reviews! This chapter is short, but at least it is an update. : )_**

**Strings Attached**

**Chapter Five-Father and Son**

Brooke looked up from her spot behind the counter at the far right of the boutique as the door opened, "hey slut."

Peyton grinned as she chewed a piece of gum, "hey whore."

The brunette took in her best friend's appearance. She was grinning and her hands were stuffed in her pockets as she was trying to contain her excitement. "Ok goldilocks, spill."

"Guess who's got two backstage passes to tonight's _Finley's FuNK _show?"

"Uh…my best friend in the whole entire world…we're so close that she's like a sister to me and she knows I would do anything in the world for her?"

Peyton rolled her eyes, "relax, you're definitely coming with."

Brooke grinned, "Good because I really didn't want to have to pull out all the stops and get on my knees and beg."

"Yeah whatever, you probably would have just let some fake tears fall." Peyton grinned as Brooke feigned offense, "you know it's true, B. Davis."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She shook her head, "I still can't believe you sucked me into the rock slash punk slash emo cult." The brunette's smile quickly became a frown, "wait…doesn't Jake have a meeting tonight? I don't have anybody to watch Logan."

"Uh…what about his father? You know, famed basketball player, Lucas Scott?"

Brooke bit her lip, "Logan's never been away from home before…I'm not sure if he'd be up to it."

The blonde eyed her best friend carefully as she tried to busy herself with price tags, "you're not sure he'd be up to it or you're not sure _you'd _be up to it?"

Brooke frowned, "maybe I worry too much when it comes to Logan."

"Nah…I don't think a parent can ever worry too much. But if you don't want him staying over at Lucas', I can always find someone else to take to the show…"

Brooke shook her head, "No. I think it's time Logan and Lucas have some father, son bonding." Brooke sighed, "I'm gonna go ahead and call Lucas."

Peyton nodded, "I'll see you at home."

"Ok, bye whore."

"Bye slut."

Ten slow minutes had gone by before Brooke flipped open her cell and dialed for Lucas. Why was it so hard for her to call Lucas? She sighed deeply and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey Brooke."

"Hey Lu…wait, how'd you know it was me?" she questioned suspiciously.

"I put your number in my phone…"

Even though Lucas couldn't see her, it didn't keep Brooke from blushing, "oh." She paused, "anyway, I just called to ask if you know…maybe you would want to watch Logan tonight?"

"I--"

"Because I understand if you can't."

"I--"

"Or if you don't want to. It probably would be a little awkward for the both of you and that's the last thing I want--"

"Brooke!" Lucas exclaimed through his phone before laughing at her nervous antics.

"What?"

"I'd love to watch Logan for the night." He grinned through his words, "I want to be apart of my son's life, Brooke."

Brooke nervously fiddled with a strand of dark locks that had escaped from her ponytail, "really?

He grinned, "Really."

* * *

Brooke cursed under her breath as she nearly fell to the floor while tripping over one of Logan's remote control cars. She had have to remember to once again _thank _Uncle Jake for giving Logan the five car remote control set as an early Christmas present. "Logan!" she yelled, "come pick up your toys!"

Logan came running around the corner, "why?" he asked.

She planted her hands on her hips, "because I said so." She paused, "and because your going over to your dad's tonight."

His eyes widened, "I'm going to see my daddy again?"

"Of course." She picked up one of the cars and handed it to him, "now clean up your mess so you can pack." She smiled somberly as she watched him begin to clean up his mess. What had she done? Would it have been that hard to track Lucas down after their one night stand? She shook her head; there was no use in wallowing over her past choices. All she could do now was promise herself she would make better choices for her son. _Enjoy the present and look forward to the future. _She raised a brow, _where the hell did that come from?_

She needed to stop reading Lucas' blog.

* * *

Logan let his eyes lead his head, "wow."

"My thoughts exactly." She grabbed her son's hand, "let's go, baby." Brooke smiled graciously at the doorman as he opened the door for her. When she had gotten the address from Luke over the phone earlier, she expected it to be a nice place but she didn't put two and two together. She didn't expect it to be Trump Towers.

Luke pushed the door open before ushering Brooke and Logan in. he had tried his best to clean the place up and he managed to get rid of all the empty pizza and Chinese food boxes, but his mother wouldn't exactly be proud of him if she saw the place.

"Wow!" Logan exclaimed, running over to the arcade style basketball game, he turned back around and looked wide-eyed at his dad, "do you have basketballs?"

Lucas nodded and point to the crate full of various basketballs up against the wall next to the shelf of trophies, "just be careful." Logan nodded and eagerly began trying to imitate his dad's on court skills. Lucas laughed, "here, let me give you some hints."

Brooke smiled as she watched the father son moment. Her gaze slowly went from her son's eager smile as learned how to properly shoot to Lucas' smile as he eagerly showed his son how to shoot.


	6. Spiderman and Sundaes

**Well I'm on a roll! LoL. Thanks so much for all the reviews and I'm sooo sorry it took me forever to update this story. But I've really gotten back into the writing mode and I plan on updating all three of my Brucas stories a lot more...so keep a look out! Please review! Thanks, Rebecca.**

**Strings Attached**

**Chapter Six-Spiderman and Sundaes**

"Mommy!" Brooke winced as she watched her son come running down the steps without holding onto the banister and jumping to the floor from the third step. "I can't find my Spiderman socks!"

She sat up a bit while still keeping herself cuddled into the corner of the couch, she paused the movie she had been engrossed in and turned to her son as he jumped onto the couch. She wasn't exactly feeling the best, that concert with Peyton had been outside and of course it had to rain. "Can't you wear another pair of socks tonight?"

He shook his head, "I want to wear my Spiderman socks!"

She sighed inwardly, here came the hissy fit.

"Well if you find them, you can wear them." She replied calmly.

"But I can't find them!"

"Did you look in your bag that you took to your dad's?" It was still weird referring to Logan as having a dad. He shook his head, "go look and see if they're in there." He huffed, crossed his arms, turned around and stomped back up the stairs.

Just when she thought she would get a couple minutes of silence, her cell had to ring. She didn't even bother to look at the caller I.D. "hello?" she answered a little too harshly as she put the phone to her ear.

"_Bad timing?_"

She couldn't help herself, her frustration cooled when she heard his voice, "no, I mean, Logan's just having a fit because he can't find his Spiderman socks and I have the worst cold. So I don't exactly feel up to fighting with him. Just for future reference, _never _go to an outside concert when hurricane like weather has been forecasted. Yeah, it's New York, so hurricanes really don't happen around here, but seriously, the rain was so cold and I am so sick." She coughed and sneezed at the same time, "see? I'm sick."

"Mommy!" Logan came bounding back down the steps, he crossed his arms as he looked at her angrily, "I…can't…find…my…Spiderman…socks!"

"_Hey Brooke?" _Lucas said through the phone, "_I have Logan's Spiderman socks._" When she didn't answer, he took that as his cue to continue, "_you want me to bring them over?_"

"Are you sure? You live clear across town."

Brooke thought for sure she had heard him shrug before he simply responded, "_I don't mind._"

"O…" she sneezed, "kay." She let out a tired sigh as she sunk deeper into the sofa, "I did give you a key, right?"

"_Yeah. I'll be over soon." _

The two exchanged simple good-byes before simultaneously hanging up.

She looked up at Logan who had now taken up a seat on the stairs, "you're dad has your socks, he'll be here soon."

He jumped up; "yes!" he turned right around and ran upstairs, babbling on about something to do with video games.

The brunette frowned, she looked in no right to have company over…but it was just Lucas. Yeah, Lucas Scott, her college one-night stand that resulted in the greatest gift she had ever been given. For the next twenty-five minutes she thought about how she should really get up and do something with her appearance. She was wearing a pair of old cheer sweat pants from high school and an oversized hoody. Her brunette locks had started out in a messy bun, but now there wasn't exactly any sort of bun holding it together, it was just messy.

* * *

Lucas let himself in as Brooke had instructed and made sure the front door was locked behind him. He stuffed the keys back into his pocket and looked around for any sign of Logan or Brooke, "hello?"

Logan came rounding the corner, "Hey daddy! Do you have my Spiderman socks?"

Lucas bent down to his son's eye level and handed the clean socks to him, "don't tell me that am the only reason you're happy to see me.'

"Of course not! You can play Mario kart with me, now...Uncle Jake usually does but he's out with Aunt Peyton tonight. So Mommy said she might play it with me but she's too sick," he sighed dramatically, sticking his bottom lip out, "so you'll play it with me, right?"

Lucas grinned and threw Logan over his shoulder, causing the four year old to laugh uncontrollably, "can I be Yoshi?"

"Yes!" he continued to go giggle and squirm, "daddy!"

Lucas sat him down on the first step, ruffling a hand through the boy's blond hair, "why don't you go get your pajamas on while I go see how your mom is, ok?"

"Ok!"

He laughed lightly and shook his head as he watched Logan rush up the steps. He nervously ran a hand through his hair; he wasn't exactly sure why he was nervous. But he knew for a fact the feeling in his stomach was not because of the Chinese takeout he ate for dinner.

He turned towards the living room and the sight he caught, made him breathless and he was sure he felt his hands clam up. There she was, cuddled into the couch fast asleep. A blanket was draped over her body but he could tell her feet were curled beneath her. Even when sick, she looked beautiful.

Logan came running back down the stairs and stopped next to his dad, his shoulders slumped, "Mommy's asleep, does that mean we can't play video games?"

"I'm afraid so, Buddy."

"Oh." He paused, "what do you want to do, now?"

"Hmm…well, I don't know about you, but I love ice-cream."

Logan's blue eyes got wide, "can we make ice-cream sundaes?"

Lucas grinned, "that's exactly what I was thinking." Putting his hand on Logan's shoulder, he led him to the kitchen, "you'll have to show me where everything is."

"I can do that because I helped mommy clean the kitchen last week!"

"No wonder it looks so clean!" Lucas went to the freezer, "chocolate or vanilla ice-cream?"

"Chocolate!"

* * *

Nearly an hour had gone by as the two enjoyed their home-made, outrageous sundaes.

"Dis is riwy good!" Logan exclaimed, his mouth still full and his face covered in chocolate.

Lucas laughed, "I think it's safe to say we are the experts at making sundaes, what do you think, Bud?"

Logan nodded, "we are the best."

In the living room, Brooke felt herself drifting out of dreamland and into the real world. She moaned and stretched her body out across the couch, her eyes focused and after a few seconds, she realized she had been asleep for about an hour and a half.

"Oh shit," she mumbled, pulling the covers off and jumping from the couch, she put her hands to her forehead; her body hadn't been expecting the sudden movement. Groaning, she sat back down on the couch and waited for the dizziness to pass. When it did, she slowly got up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen where she heard laughter.

Brooke leaned up against the doorway that led into the kitchen and smiled at the two. Ever since Lucas had entered Logan's life, the boy was so much happier; it wasn't that he hadn't been a happy child before, but it was as if his childhood found its missing piece.

She felt a pang of guilt; she had been feeling it a lot, lately. Logan had missed out on four and half years with his father and Lucas had missed out on the first four and a half years of his son's life.

Lucas had said many times that he didn't blame her; they had both been young and naïve.

But Brooke still couldn't rid herself of that guilt.

She shook her head, and focused her mind back on the present; they were definitely enjoying themselves, at the expense of her kitchen, "having a party without me?"

"We made sundaes!" Logan exclaimed.

"I can tell," she walked over to the four and a half year old and started to wipe the hot fudge from his face, "you're a mess."

Logan shrugged, "but it was really good!"

Brooke grinned, looking up at Lucas, who was watching her with admiration, she blushed, "what?" she asked him, forgetting her original question.

Lucas shook his head and busied himself with cleaning up the kitchen, "nothing."

"Mmhhmm," she helped Logan off the stool, "go upstairs and wash your hands."

"Why can't I wash my hands in here?"

"Because Luke is using it to clean up the mess you guys made." He pouted and started for the stairs, stomping his feet all the way, "and don't stomp your feet, mister, or you'll go straight to bed."

"But I'm not tired!" He whined.

"Then you better stop stomping your feet." And he did, he practically tip-toed his way up rest of the staircase.

The kitchen was silent as Brooke helped Lucas clean up the mess.

Lucas was a little unsure of Brooke's mood right now, was she mad at him?

He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry we made in mess of your kitchen."

She shook her head, "don't worry about it."

He nodded before washing the island counter where the majority of the mess had occurred. He jumped when she practically slammed the freezer door shut, hestitantly, he spoke, "listen, I'm sorry if I did something wrong…"

She shook her head, interrupting him, "you didn't do anything wrong, Lucas," she suddenly got very emotional, "I did."

"What do you mean?"

Brooke sighed, frustrated with the tears that had suddenly gathered in her hazel eyes, "I mean, I just keep thinking, would it have been that hard to try and find you? You missed out on witnessing your son's birth, his first steps, his first birthday, his first tooth and every other first that comes with having a child! It's all my fault!"

Lucas looked away, if he were to tell her that he wasn't at all upset about missing the first four and a half years of his son's life; he'd be lying. But he didn't blame her and he never would.

If anything, he blamed himself.

His mind drifted back to that night, after finishing their warm mugs of hot chocolate, Brooke had taken him back to her dorm room and after hours of talking, having a one-night stand with the brunette had been the last thing on his mind.

So when it had happened; it wasn't at all rushed. It was the perfect ending to a perfect night with the perfect girl.

But he had been so stupid.

After she had fallen asleep in his arms, he had gotten dressed and left. No note, no cell number, no nothing.

"It's not your fault," he said softly, after a long silence.

She scoffed as a tear slid down her cheek, "it only took you five minutes to say that."

"Sorry, I was just thinking back to that night. I'm sorry I didn't leave a note or a number."

Brooke shook her head, "I never asked you to, it was a one-night stand."

"But looking back…do you ever think it could have been something more?"


	7. Drama in the Night

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**I'm a little iffy about this chapter and some of you might find Jake to be a bit OC...but it was necessary. Also, for any of you that read Something Crazy, I mentioned that I probably wouldn't be updating any of my stories until after the new year...well, I got ambitious. But this will probably be the last update for any of my stories until after the New Year. So...Happy Holidays! **

**Strings Attached**

**Chapter Seven-Drama in the Night**

"_But looking back…do you ever think it could have been something more?"_

Brooke swallowed hard, she had thought about it; some days that had been _all_ she thought about. "Does it really matter, now?"

Lucas pushed a small strand of hair back behind her ear and let his fingers linger, "it could," he whispered.

"How?"

"That night…" he sighed and raked his fingers through his hair, "that night meant something to me, the hours we spent just wandering around town, just talking. It was nice, I felt closer to you in those few hours than I had felt with any other girl. And when we went back to your dorm, that was nice, too…" he felt his cheeks get warm, "it was really nice."

Brooke grinned shyly, she could feel the red creep into her own cheeks, "you're blushing."

"So are you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Mmhhmm." His hand trailed down her arm until he found her hand, "so I guess what I'm asking, is, Brooke Davis, will you be my girlfriend?"

"We haven't even gone out on a date."

"Ok then, Brooke Davis, would you give me the honor of taking you out on a date?"

The brunette smiled shyly, "What's with the formality?"

Lucas shrugged, "What's with avoiding my questions?"

Brooke sighed, and pulled away from Lucas, "I don't want to hurt Logan. It's already enough that out of nowhere he has a father. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're in his life. It's just…he's so confused with everything and I don't want to make it worse."

Lucas shook his head, "I don't see how his mother and father getting together will make things worse."

"Are you really going to make me say it?"

"I think I am."

"What if we don't work out, what if we have this horrible break-up and then you decide you want full custody of Logan and you take me to court and you're Lucas Scott, you have all the money in the world and you'll probably be able to get one hell of an attorney who will dig up my whole past and the court will rule in your favor and you'll take Logan away from me?"

Lucas shook his head, "I would never, _never ever _take Logan away from you." He brought his hand up to her chin and tilted it so she was looking at him, "and if you want to take things slow, then we can take things slow. We can even keep it a secret for a while if that's what you want."

"I'm not very good with relationships," she whispered.

"Well neither am I," he grinned and lowered his lips toward hers.

"Lucas, I'm sick," she mumbled as his lips got closer.

"I'll risk it." His lips touched hers in a soft manner and he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss. Brooke moaned against his lips and absentmindedly sat the bowl back on the counter before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Ok! I'm all clean!"

The two jumped apart just as Logan rounded the corner and made his return to the kitchen, he climbed up on the stool and looked between his parents, oblivious to what he had interrupted, "so what are we going to do now? Can we watch a movie?"

"I don't know, baby, it's kind of late," Brooke answered, ruffling her son's dirty blonde hair.

Lucas shrugged, "I have no place to be tomorrow."

"Awesome!" Logan exclaimed, "Come help me pick out a movie, daddy!" He took his father's hand and dragged him to the living room, rambling on about all the movies he had.

Two hours later, the television was softly playing the end of the movie to no audience. Logan was curled up in his sleeping bag in front of the couch, fast asleep while Lucas was asleep in one corner of the couch with Brooke leaning up against him fast asleep.

Jake disgustedly shook his head as Peyton smiled softly at the three, "this is so a picture moment," she whispered before going to the office she shared with Jake and getting her digital camera. She returned to find Jake turning the TV off and cleaning up the dishes that had been put off to the side, "move so I can take the picture."

"Yes, dear," Jake mumbled, taking the dishes into the kitchen.

Peyton had taken about a dozen pictures of the sleeping family before following Jake into the kitchen. "You know," she began, "I could have sworn just the other day you were saying what a nice, _good_guy you thought Lucas was."

"Yeah, well that was before I came home to find my sister in his arms. He's giving the two false hope. Brooke's past relationships have been failures for various reasons and all Logan has ever wanted was his daddy to be with his mommy." He sighed, frustrated, "I just don't want to see the two get hurt."

"But you have to trust that Brooke knows what she's doing."

"We saw how well that worked out with Jeremy and Mitchell."

Peyton rolled her eyes, "Jeremy hasn't been around for years and well, Brooke knows what a mistake Mitchell was," she shook her head, "she wouldn't go back there, again." She shrugged, "besides, as far as I know, Lucas and Brooke are just friends. And if that's changed, well, I'm going to support the two of them and you should do the same. You need to for _once_ support your little sister."

Jake looked offended, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you never support Brooke. You barely talked to her when she was pregnant with Logan..."

"...that's because she was stupid and got herself knocked up with some guy whose name she didn't even know!" Jake defended himself.

The blonde shook her head, "you didn't support her when she dropped out of college to work two jobs so she could make ends meet! The only reason you let her move in was because working those two jobs had put her in the hospital and you had suddenly grown a conscious." She shook her head when Jake started to speak, "for once, you need to just shut up!"

"I'm not going to shut up and let her think that by hooking up with Lucas she's getting the perfect little family she's always wanted!"

Back in the living room, Lucas was listening carefully to the argument going on just feet away, he wasn't exactly sure what had woke him up at first but it hadn't taken him long to realize it was the loud voices of Brooke's brother and best friend. He felt Brooke shift in his arms and he looked down at her open eyes, he couldn't quite read the expression on her face, "you ok?" he asked whispered, aware of the fact that Logan was still asleep.

"I'm fine," she pulled away from Lucas' arms and threw the blanket off of her before marching into the kitchen.

When Brooke had entered the kitchen, both Jake and Peyton immediately stopped yelling.

Brooke glared at her brother, crossing her arms, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk shit about me when my son is nearby."

Jake scoffed, "Logan's in the living room sound asleep."

"Oh, so you knew we were sleeping but that didn't keep you from yelling at the top of your lungs. You're so thoughtful, Jake."

"_Yes_,_ I am _thoughtful! Thanks to me, you and your son have a roof over your head! You two would be nowhere if it weren't for me! Yeah, I did ignore you when you were pregnant with Logan, you know why? Because I was disappointed in you, I was ashamed of you! But that didn't stop me from financially supporting you. Remind me again, who was it that helped you get the loan to start your clothing store? Oh! That's right, it was me! Who was it that defended you to mom and dad when they found out about Logan who was already two, through grandma? It was me!"

"Jake--" Peyton started.

Brooke shook her head, "it's alright Peyton, you've defended me enough, I can take it from here." She turned back to her brother, "You think you're so much better than mom and dad, but right now you're acting just like them and I'm not going to put up with it!" She spoke her next words without even thinking, "Logan and I are moving in with Lucas."

Twenty minutes later, Lucas was following Brooke out the door with a sleeping Logan in his arms. He hadn't heard the entirety of the argument between the siblings because he had taken Logan upstairs to bed so he wouldn't be woken up by the screaming. When he had come back downstairs, Brooke informed him that the three of them leaving.

He didn't ask questions, he only nodded and went about helping Brooke pack enough stuff for the next few days. She said she would be back sometime within the next week to move everything else out. That sometime referred to a time when she knew her brother wouldn't be home.

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